The Italian government reportedly lined up a deal with Elon Musk for his SpaceX entity to provide a range of communications services for employees and the country’s military, with discussion ongoing over a five-year contract worth €1.5 billion.
Bloomberg reported talks are at an advanced stage, and the project had been signed off by Italy’s intelligence services and defense ministry.
Details about what could be provided by SpaceX are sparse, but the company would likely be tasked with providing a high-level of encryption for phone and internet services used by government employees, sources claimed.
The contract would also extend to communications services for the country’s military and the deployment of direct-to-device (D2D) satellite offerings in emergency situations, such as during terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
Bloomberg stated a deal such as this has been in the works since 2023; however, the plan faced some opposition from politicians due to concerns about how it may impact local operators.
Sources added the prospects of an agreement being reached progressed rapidly after Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Donald Trump on January 4, with Musk notably a strong ally of the US President-elect.
News of the potential deal comes shortly after SpaceX struck a deal with Kyivstar in Ukraine to provide D2D services in the country, potentially beginning in the fourth quarter.
Espoo, Finland – Nokia, in collaboration with Vodafone and RingCentral, will unveil Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS) at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025. This groundbreaking technology, part of 5G Advanced, promises to revolutionize voice communication by delivering natural, three-dimensional sound experiences, even for remote calls.
Transforming Voice Communication IVAS enhances traditional voice services with spatial audio, making conversations lifelike and immersive. Applications range from business meetings and industrial operations to education, sports, and everyday mobile calls. The technology leverages the Metadata-Assisted Spatial Audio (MASA) format, designed for devices like smartphones, and integrates a built-in renderer for head-tracked binaural audio and multi-loudspeaker playback.
Key Benefits of IVAS
Multi-stream teleconferencing: Enables seamless audio for complex meetings, with spatially distinct voices and inclusive soundscapes that make remote participants feel “in the room.”
Immersive 1-to-1 calling: Offers 360° audio for richer, more engaging interactions, with head-tracking for accurate directional sound.
Enhanced industrial access: Improves communication in noisy environments like factories and construction sites, while aiding remote servicing and critical operations.
Industry Collaboration Developed by 13 companies and included in the 3GPP Release 18 standard, IVAS builds on the widely used Enhanced Voice Services (EVS). Nokia, Vodafone, and RingCentral are committed to expanding the IVAS ecosystem, delivering impactful audio experiences across communication platforms.
Experience IVAS at MWC 2025 Visitors can explore IVAS concepts at the Vodafone (Hall 3 Stand 3E11), Nokia (Hall 3 Stand 3B20), and RingCentral (Executive Meeting Room 12Ex, Hall 7E) booths from March 3-6, 2025.
Quotes
Jyri Huopaniemi, Nokia Technologies: “IVAS brings new use cases to life, delivering immersive audio experiences across platforms.”
Nadia Benabdallah, Vodafone: “Immersive voice technology enhances business meetings, industrial operations, and everyday calls.”
Homayoun Razavi, RingCentral: “IVAS restores the power of voice, promoting inclusivity and unlocking AI-enhanced collaboration.”
Telefonica struck a deal to sell its unit in Argentina to local rival Telecom Argentina for just over $1.2 billion, though the country’s president issued a rapid response announcing the move would be assessed over monopoly fears.
In its brief statement on the sale, Telefonica explained it was part of a group strategy to reduce exposure to the region. Its exit from Argentina and some other markets in Latin America has been the subject of regular media speculation in recent weeks.
Telecom Argentina highlighted a plan to make “intensive capital investments” on fibre and 5G in the coming years, along with “expansion of value-added services” in a stock exchange filing.
Areas where it plans to extend its reach include video on demand, IoT, AI and cloud services, and products for enterprise.
Telecom Argentina indicated as a result of its investments, “Argentina will have a digital infrastructure of international level and quality, boosting the development of key sectors of the economy”.
The deal is being mostly financed by loans.
Telefonica announced the “signing and closing of the transaction took place simultaneously” yesterday (24 February).
Competition However, in a statement published in newspaper Clarin, the office of Argentina’s President Javier Milei revealed the deal would be investigated by regulators to assess whether it constituted the creation of a monopoly.
“This acquisition could leave approximately 70 per cent of telecommunications services in the hands of a single economic group, which would create a monopoly formed thanks to decades of state benefits received by the company,” it noted.
It added the government would “take all measures to guarantee users’ right to choose, free competition and accessibility to telecommunications services”.
In terms of mobile connections in Q4 2024, GSMA Intelligence placed Telecom Argentina as the second largest with 21.5 million and Telefonica third with 17.5 million.
Australia’s government proposed what it called a world-first reform requiring operators to deliver basic universal outdoor mobile coverage across the country, a move made possible by the arrival of direct-to-device technology using low Earth orbit satellites.
The Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation (UOMO) would require operators to provide access to mobile voice and SMS almost everywhere across Australia. The measure calls for 5 million square km of new outdoor coverage, including more than 37,000 km on regional roads.
Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland noted the government would consult with stakeholders and introduce legislation this year to expand a universal service framework to include mobile coverage for the first time.
Implementation of universal outdoor SMS and voice coverage is expected by late 2027.
Rowland believes the reform will improve public safety, increase resilience during natural disasters and provide an extra layer of coverage in areas previously thought too difficult or costly to reach.
Telstra reached an agreement with Space X in January to deliver satellite-to-mobile service to customers in remote areas.
In 2024, Telstra called for a multi-technology approach to the universal service obligation using a mix of fixed, mobile and satellite technologies.
Accra, Ghana – The leadership of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications and its members have paid a courtesy call on the newly appointed Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, to congratulate him on his new role and offer their full support in advancing Ghana’s digital economy.
The meeting, held at the Ministry’s offices in Accra, provided a platform for engaging discussions on key industry challenges, policy directions, and opportunities for collaboration between the government and the critical telecommunications industry. In attendance from the Chamber were all the CEOs and country managers of MTN, Telecel, AT, ATC, Helios Ghana, CSquared, Ericsson and Huawei. The Minister was accompanies by some of his leadership team as well as the Acting DG of the NCA and some of his leadership team members.
Telecom Industry Lays Out Key Concerns
During the engagement, the Chamber and its members—comprising Ghana’s leading telecom operators and service providers—highlighted several critical issues impacting the industry. These included but are not limited to the following:
🔹 Protection of Telecom Infrastructure – Members expressed concern over the rising cases of fibre optic cable cuts, theft of telecom batteries, and vandalism of critical infrastructure, which have disrupted services and increased operational costs.
🔹 Access to Telecom Sites – The industry highlighted challenges with local chiefs and landowners demanding excessive fees or blocking access to telecom installations, leading to service disruptions and higher costs.
🔹 High Taxation on the Sector – The Chamber noted that telecom companies pay over 42% of their revenue in taxes, levies, and fees, and urged the government to review sector-specific taxes to encourage investment and affordability for consumers.
🔹 Spectrum Allocation & Network Congestion – The telecom companies appealed for additional spectrum releases to address increasing data demand, improve service quality, and expand connectivity nationwide.
Minister Samuel George Commits to Strong Collaboration
In response, Hon. Samuel Nartey George reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with the telecom industry to address pressing concerns and advance Ghana’s digital transformation agenda.
“We recognize the critical role of telecommunications in Ghana’s economic development. Our focus is to build a digital economy that benefits all, and we will ensure that the industry has the necessary support to thrive,” he stated.
The Minister outlined several key action points for industry collaboration. Below are a few:
Regular Engagements – He assured the Chamber that the Ministry will hold and also facilitate regular formal engagements with key stakeholders to maintain open communication and collaborative problem-solving.
Infrastructure Protection Laws – Hon. Samuel George expressed strong support for drafting and enforcing harsher penalties against fibre optic cable vandalism and telecom equipment theft among others.
Industry Support for National Digital Programs – The Minister urged telecom operators to play an active role in the government’s “One Million Coders Program”, which aims to train Ghanaian youth in digital skills and software development.
The leadership of the Chamber, went on to present a copy of its Telecommunications Industry Optic Fibre Minimum Specifications and Standards Manual which sets out the minimum industry specification and standards for the deployment of fibre optic cables in Ghana. The self-regulatory document was developed by benchmarking industry standards from Europe, Egypt and countries with successful fibre deployment systems and the experience of the Ghanaian operators.
On his part Hon. George, assured the Chamber that the standards will be carefully considered by the NCA and incorporated where possible into the Authority’s standards going forward.
A Shared Vision for Digital Growth
The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications welcomed the Minister’s vision for the sector and pledged its commitment to supporting national digitalization efforts. The Chamber’s leadership assured the Minister that they would work collaboratively with the government to drive technological innovation, enhance digital infrastructure, and support policies that foster economic growth.
As Ghana continues to navigate its digital transformation journey, this meeting marked a crucial step in aligning the goals of government and industry to build a more connected, inclusive, and competitive digital economy.
Apple plans to add its generative AI software to its extended reality Vision Pro headsets in April as part of an operating system update.
A beta version of the visionOS 2.4 software is currently available to developers with the public release slated for April. Apple Intelligence is a set of AI-based tools currently available on selected iPhone, iPad and Mac models.
Like its rollout on iPhones, Apple Intelligence Vision Pro features will come in waves with the first set focusing on generating, proofing, rewriting and summarising text messages using OpenAI’s ChatGPT in Writing Tools.
Another upcoming application touted by Apple was Image Playground, which will enable Vision Pro users to create unique images from themes, costumes, accessories, and places using verbal prompts.
These features are already available on iOS, macOS, and iPadOS.
Initially they will support US English, with more features and additional languages to follow over the course of 2025.
Also in April, Apple Vision Pro users will be able to browse visionOS content such as TV shows and movies on iPhones before transferring them to their headsets using the Apple Vision Pro app.
Apple pitched the Vision Pro as a spatial computing device when launching it in 2024 and billed the $3,500 headset as its next major platform.
During its fiscal Q1 2025 (the period to 28 December 2024) results statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted Vision Pro had more than 2,500 native spatial apps and 1,500,000 compatible apps for its operating system.
According to market research company AppFigures, the number of new Vision Pro apps has declined every month since the headset hit the market. It estimates that fewer than 1,900 apps are currently active.
GSMA Foundry, the industry association’s innovation arm, introduced an open-source initiative aimed at improving large language models (LLMs) for telecoms applications.
Dubbed the Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks, the initiative is intended to provide a new framework to assess AI models on capability, energy efficiency, and safety in real-world telecoms scenarios.
Described by the GSMA as an “open-source community”, the offering is backed by Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, computer application developer Hugging Face, and non-profit coding hub Linux Foundation. Operators including Deutsche Telekom, LG Uplus and SK Telecom, as well as vendor Huawei are also supporting the launch.
As AI adoption in telecoms accelerates, the GSMA explained that existing LLMs struggle with troubleshooting, regulatory compliance, and handling technical telecoms knowledge. Tests revealed that the GPT-4 model scored below 75 per cent on a dataset designed to evaluate telecoms-specific industry knowledge of LLMs. In another case, GPT-4 also performed less than 40 per cent on a dataset assessing the model’s understanding of 3GPP standards.
“Today’s AI models struggle with telecom-specific queries, often producing inaccurate, misleading or impractical recommendations,”explained Louis Powell, head of AI initiatives at the GSMA.
The new benchmarks community will enable mobile operators, AI researchers and developers to contribute use cases, datasets, and AI models for evaluation. A standardised benchmarking system will allow the AI models to be tested against practical telecoms challenges, including domain expertise, mathematical reasoning, energy efficiency and safety. Benchmarks will be hosted on Hugging Face’s platform to promote transparency and engagement.
Powell added that by establishing benchmarks, the initiative aims to improve AI model performance while ensuring “AI in telecoms is safe, reliable and aligned with real-world operational needs”.
As the industry puts focus on ethical and sustainable AI in telecoms, the initiative aligns with the GSMA’s previous commitments. Last year, the trade body introduced the Responsible AI Maturity Roadmap, a framework designed to help mobile operators implement best-practice principles in AI development and deployment.
Apple outlined a plan to spend more than $500 billion over the next four years to hire 20,000 new employees, expand its data centre capacity across five US states and build its own AI servers.
The additional jobs will focus on R&D, silicon engineering, software development, and AI and machine learning.
Apple stated the investment and new jobs are its biggest US commitments to date.
“We are bullish on the future of American innovation and we’re proud to build on our long-standing US investments with this $500 billion commitment to our country’s future,” Apple CEO Tim Cook stated.
Bloomberg wrote US President Donald Trump implied Apple is investing domestically to skirt 10 per cent tariffs on products imported from China following a recent meeting with Cook.
Cook was among many tech titans to attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony on 20 January.
The vendor and its partners intend to open a 250,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the state of Texas in 2026 to produce servers for its Apple Intelligence software and AI tools.
It will also double its US Advanced Manufacturing Fund created in 2017 to support innovation and manufacturing jobs. The fund is growing from $5 billion to $10 billion as part of the new investment.
The expansion of the fund includes a multi-billion-dollar commitment from Apple to produce advanced silicon in a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company facility in the state of Arizona.
It also plans to open the Apple Manufacturing Academy in the state of Michigan to help companies transition to advanced manufacturing by implementing AI and smart manufacturing techniques.
Apple also plans to expand data centre capacity in the states of North Carolina, Iowa, Oregon, Arizona and Nevada.
Chinese tech giants began shifting their AI development set-ups to mimic DeepSeek’s low-cost large language model, spurring a surge in demand for US-based Nvidia’s AI chips designed for the nation, Reuters reported.
The news agency stated Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance significantly increased orders for Nvidia’s H20 chips, which are not covered by US export licensing rules.
Nvidia reconfigured its high-end offerings for China following US export controls on AI chips introduced in October 2023. The H20 is its top-end chip available in the country.
The US government is mulling fresh restrictions on exports of chips including the H20 and forcing companies in Japan and the Netherlands to back the expanded curbs.
DeepSeek jolted the international AI industry after launching its R1 model, which reportedly was developed at a fraction of the typical cost, using less-advanced chips compared with big name US counterparts.
Ericsson employed low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to handle 5G backhaul in a remote area, advancing the potential of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) as a connectivity option in areas not covered by mobile or fixed infrastructure.
In a trial conducted in Spain with industrial digital technology multinational Oesia Group and the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), Ericsson used a portable 5G gNodeB to connect to a data centre laboratory operated by 5TONIC, an R&D facility initiated by Telefonica and IMDEA Networks Institute.
The trial focused on connecting the transport element of the private gNodeB network with the laboratory’s Control Plane functions, proving the set-up can be used to maintain connectivity in areas lacking traditional infrastructure.
Ericsson explained the set-up connected 5G devices at the remote location using the portable private network, with the NTN element providing broader connectivity. The transition from mobile to satellite access was shown to be smooth, employing 3GPP Advanced Traffic Steering-Switching-Splitting technology.
Manuel Lorenzo, head of Technology and Innovation at Ericsson Spain, said the “seamless transition between mobile and satellite access”, would enable continuity of service.
There is also potential to apply the approach in areas affected by disasters, UC3M Signal Theory and Communications Department expert Daniel Segovia noted.
Maria Grana, director of technology with Oesia’s Inster unit, explained it provided a satellite terminal using an electronically steered Ku-band antenna which connected to Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO constellation.
She said the trial is “a significant achievement for satellite communications”.
UC3M coordinated the trial, which employed Ericsson’s 5G infrastructure alongside the Inster terminals.
